"The Banner of Battle"

The Banner of Battle: The Story of the Crimean War (Alan Palmer)

A short little hardcover about (checks title) the Crimean War. Palmer focuses more on the diplomacy surrounding the war than the battles themselves (Chapter Six: When's the Fighting Going to Begin?) - this is probably a wise choice since the actual fighting was rather limited, with most of the war being a long siege. Thinking back, I liked this book better than The Crimean War - but since that book focused more on the military aspect, and since both books are on the short side, I'd recommend just reading both (The Crimean War first, but skip the too long epilogue, then this one) - there's a little repetition of material, but you'll get a very nice view of the conflict.

Grade: B+